Saturday, October 18th saw the Niagara College men's volleyball program wrap-up their pre-season with a tournament championship at the Seneca Invitational for the second time in as many seasons.
The Knights played a total of four matches over two days finishing with a record of 3-1, and saw three players named to the event all-star team including tournament MVP Nathan Snippe (St. Anns, ON).
"This tournament was a great team win for us. All 11 players we dressed saw meaningful time and contributed huge for us" said Niagara College men's volleyball head coach Nathan Groenveld. "This will be key for us as we go through an extremely tough OCAA west division this year. The ability to train with a deep group will help us continue to improve and will allow us to stay healthy and fresh."
The Knights opened the event with an impressive 3-0 (25-11, 25-21 and 25-22) victory over Canadian Mennonite University. Coach Groenveld felt the difference in the contest was his team's "passing and service game." Third-year outside hitter Jeff Scott led the way for Niagara, finishing with a game high 13 points.
The Knights second game did not go as smoothly. The Knights dropped a hard fought five-set match to a veteran Durham Lords team. "We started the match really slow, and we gave away a number of points with errors" added Groenveld.
Despite the loss, rookie outside hitter Cole Jordan was an absolute force for the Knights. The six-foot-four outside hitter from London, led all players with 21 points in his best outing of the 2014 pre-season.
The Knights entered day two in a tie with the Lords for top spot in their pool. The team needed a strong performance in Saturday's game versus the Ottawa Gee Gees to ensure they would compete for a gold medal.
The team played well and defeated Ottawa 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-18) in the morning match. The victory set the stage for the Knights to face their OCAA West Division rival Redeemer Royals in the gold medal game.
The two teams played a five-set marathon that saw the Knights eventually secure the 25-21, 19-25, 25-17, 25-27, 18-16 victory.
"The gold medal match was our size and skill versus the discipline and defensive system of Redeemer" said Groenveld. "It was a tough battle that was close the entire match. Our size and skill was the difference as we blocked and defended from 14-12 down in the final set to win 18-16."
Towering six-foot-eight outside hitter Nathan Snippe was named the tournament MVP, while Cole Jordan (London) and setter Steve Stone (St. Catharines) were named all-stars.
The Knights will now open their 2014-15 regular season with a tough road trip to Windsor on Sunday, October 26th for a match against a strong St. Clair Saints side.
